Government quiet on share sales

IN THE DARK:Despite a projected total budget shortfall of $273 billion next year, the government remained tight-lipped about selling the state’s bank and bluechip shares

By Kevin Chen / Staff reporter

The Cabinet yesterday approved next year’s proposed annual budget, but shed little light on plans to sell its stakes in some state-run banks and several bluechip companies next year to help plug its budget shortfall.

Following a meeting to discuss next year’s central government budget plan, the Cabinet said the government has projected annual spending of NT$1.9407 trillion (US$64.7 billion) with income forecast at NT$1.7308 trillion, leaving a budget deficit of NT$209.9 billion.

Together with NT$64 billion in debt repayment, the government will face a total budget shortfall of NT$273.9 billion next year.

“All of the shortfall will be covered by issuing government bonds and rely on borrowing,” the Cabinet said in a statement.

The statement fell short of market expectations of a government plan to sell shares in state banks and bluechip companies next year, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), as local media had reported.

Faced with a sluggish economy, the government is finding it increasingly difficult to raise taxes or borrow to finance its deficits, looking instead to sell shares in state-owned enterprises or privatize public utilities to increase its income.

The reports said the Cabinet had directed the nation’s four major funds — the Labor Insurance Fund, the Labor Pension Fund, the Public Service Pension Fund and the Postal Savings Fund — to purchase the government’s shares to avoid market fluctuations while maintaining the government’s control of those companies.

Cabinet spokesperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said the Cabinet did not discuss share sale plans during the weekly meeting.

Cheng said she could not confirm if other government agencies — the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, or the National Development Fund (國發基金) — are considering selling shares to help boost the state’s coffers.

“The share sale plans, if there are any, will need to be submitted to the Executive Yuan for review,” Cheng said by telephone.

However, Chang said the number of shares the ministry is going to sell in some state-run banks remained unknown.

“It will have to wait for the Cabinet’s discussion next week,” he said by telephone.

Hua Nan Securities Investment Management Co (華南投顧) said the four government funds could purchase those shares offloaded by the government during after-hours trading in a bid to render limited the impact on the local market.

“The share sale would dent wider market sentiment,” Yang said in a note. “Chances are that the four government funds would sell those shares some other time to take profits, therefore the move is still negative for the market.”